A Spreadsheet Story
So, I said this:
Actually, tracking my reading has become a little more complicated since adding library books into the mix. Because I use LibraryThing only for “owned” books and ARCs, the count there does not include books borrowed from the public library and reviewed on the blog. This book-blogging accountant may finally have to take the plunge into spreadsheets (shudder).
And in reply, Michelle said this:
How do you not use spreadsheets to track your reading? Now that I have been using one for many years now, I could never NOT track my reading that way. Plus, it gives me all my stats right there without having to dig for them in LT or anywhere else online. I think 2017 should be the year you explore this fantastic avenue of tracking! 😉
Tracking Reading…All in One Place
I spend a lot of my time at work as a spreadsheet jockey. I’ve resisted using a spreadsheet to track my reading stats because I’m afraid it would literally feel too much like work. It may be work I need to take on anyway.
As I mentioned in my year-end reading recap, I really like the variety of review indexes that the Ultimate Book Blogger plugin [affiliate link] can produce. Some of what I’d like to track is captured that way, but not in an ideal format. The indexes are all separate from one another, for one thing; the Sortable Index combines a few options, but not all. They also can’t be exported into a setting where I’d be able to manipulate them (something like, oh, a spreadsheet).
LibraryThing has been a decent tracker surrogate for me in the past, but since I primarly use it for cataloging it doesn’t include my library books. (Yes, I know it’s “LibraryThing.” I see the irony.) It’ll still work as a simple method to track what I’ve read from my own shelves in a given year, but it’s not a complete record anymore.
I did make a stab at a reading spreadsheet a couple of years ago, with a variation on Kerry‘s reading tracker, but I didn’t stick with it. In truth, that was probably mostly because 2015 was a messy year, but I’m also not entirely sure I’d want to use the same format if I gave spreadsheets another go.
Are You a (Reading) Tracker? I Have Questions for You!
If you use a reading spreadsheet, would you mind telling me what book info you track? I’m looking for ideas, suggestions, and advice!
Here are some of the things I think I would include in my spreadsheet.
- Title
- Author
- Format
- Source
- Date(s) read, or just completion date
- Genres (fiction/nonfiction and primary category within division)
These are some items I could track, but I’m not sure if I will:
- Page count/audiobook length (hours)
- Publisher
- Setting
- Author demographics
- LT rating
- Review info (not necessary, since if I finish the book I’ll write something about it)
- ISBN (since the tracker will not be a review index, I probably would not include this)
I realize that a lot of this is based on personal preference and individual reading interests. but I’m really curious. Do you think I’m leaving out something I should pay attention to? Are there things you’ve found really aren’t worth tracking?
And if you use formulas to calculate stats from your spreadsheets, how do you make them work?
